


Not With A Bang

by Sunshine_3



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Emotional Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Injury, Nuclear Weapons, Protective Sam | Awesamdude, c!phil is a shit dad, this is just angst and pain folks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:53:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29181327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunshine_3/pseuds/Sunshine_3
Summary: What if Niki and Jack hadn't failed?What if Sam tried to help, but was too late? Too late to protect the boys he had become so fond of, had been trying to take care of. What then?-------------Based on that one really angsty TikTok that has been living rent free in my head for the past 3 days. You know the one.
Relationships: Sam | Awesamdude & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 37
Kudos: 453
Collections: Cheshire's MCYT recs!, Completed stories I've read





	Not With A Bang

**Author's Note:**

> The people invested in my other work: Yelling at me about the cliffhanger in the last chapter
> 
> Me, now vibing with the Sam and Tommy dynamic and writing this instead: Y'all hear something?
> 
> Seriously, these two are just so great together, the potential for stories with them is off the charts. I just like emotional pain I guess, so we took this route. That's how it be.
> 
> Enjoy your pain.
> 
> Edit: Guys! Guys. It’s been like less than 3 hours, why is there already 100 kudos what the hell is this- (are you really that starved of content my god what is happening)

_”This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper.” -T.S. Elliot_

Sam choked back a laugh at the look on Tommy’s face. The kid looked so _done_ , lips pinched into a grimace at the sheer _audacity_ Sam Nook had to ask for spruce wood instead of oak.

Tommy pouted. “Can’t we use oak? Spruce is just so... _shit_ , Sam. It’s shit.”

Face carefully schooled to hide his amusement, Sam typed away at his communicator, telling Tommy just what Sam Nook thought of that suggestion. Tommy read the message and huffed, rubbing his temples in dramatic exasperation.

“Fine, I’ll do it.” Tommy threw his hands on his hips, chest puffed out. “I’m a business man, and a business man needs his fuckin’ business. So if I gotta get eight stacks– Jesus- eight? _Really?_ – I’ll get eight stacks. Anything for you, Sam Nook.”

Sam grinned under his mask, watching Tommy with a fondness that had only grown over the past few weeks. Sure, he had always had a soft spot for the kid, but after the whole exile and all that followed, Sam had been even more invested in making sure Tommy was alright. He and Tubbo were just kids- teenagers- and Tommy deserved to be treated like one. Not in the sense that he was immature, no– Tommy was a lot more mature than people gave him credit for. 

Tommy deserved to be treated like a kid in the sense that he shouldn’t have to watch his own back 24/7, shouldn’t be used to the idea of betrayal, should have at least one responsible adult to look after him. Sam was determined to be that adult.

If it meant playing a silly character from Animal Crossing to see Tommy smile and laugh, mirth in his newly blue eyes, then Sam would do it. 

_God knows no one else on this server will,_ he thought, a touch bitter.

He watched as Tommy left the construction zone, the kid shouting a cheery goodbye over his shoulder on his way out. He saw Tommy pause to speak to Niki, who had been hovering outside the fence for some time now.

Sam couldn’t tell why, but a sense of unease crept in at the sight of her. Maybe it was the somewhat crazed smile, or the strange jitteriness that seemed to hover around Niki as she spoke to the kid. There was some brief discussion, and Sam’s eyes tracked their movements as the two set off, Tommy bouncing about, ranting about who-knows-what as Niki walked urgently alongside. The unease settled in his gut, and he resisted the urge to follow, to protect. 

But as much as he hated to think about it, Tommy was a soldier. The kid could defend himself well enough, and Sam knew with a certainty that if something went wrong, Tommy would call him.

With that reassurance, Sam turned to the construction site, hands full of scaffolding and mind set at the task at hand.

————————

Something is wrong.

He can feel it, the worry in his chest festering with each minute that passed without an appearance from Tommy. Usually, the kid would have bounced back to the construction site in hardly any time, either to deliver the promised materials or to complain about the difficulty of the assignment.

This time, there had been radio silence.

Every once in a while, the communicator on his wrist would buzz, and he would scramble to read the message, worried it was a cry for help from Tommy. Instead, it was just Tubbo giving very inconsistent times for a nuke launch, whatever that entailed. 

Another few minutes passed, and Sam paused in his work, anxiously watching the horizon. He kept an eye on the edge of the Prime Path, waiting for a flash of red or the glint of sunlight on golden hair.

Still nothing. Something was definitely going on.

Sam dropped the scaffolding and various materials back in their respective chests before pulling off his hard hat and construction vest. He practically threw on his armor, scrambling up the ladder to the trident landing platform, trident at the ready. He took off, wind whistling past his ears as he flew in the direction of Snowchester and nearby pine forest.

Sam scanned the area as he flew, searching for footprints in the snow, fallen trees- anything to indicate Tommy had been nearby.

There- a boat at the edge of the water. 

Sam landed, scanning for footprints, shoulders slumping in relief when he found two sets leading into the trees. He moved to follow them, still searching for any sign of the kid.

“Tommy?” 

The call echoed through the pines, mingling with the creaking of branches and the crunch of snow underfoot. Then again, if Tommy really was nearby, the area wouldn’t be this quiet. Damn.

A ping from his communicator startled him, loud in the silence of the woods. He opted to ignore it for a second, preoccupied by leaping up a small bluff and sliding down the other side, still following the prints. Three more pings, all in rapid succession, made him pause.

A glance at his wrist showed it was Tubbo, and the messages themselves made his heart drop. 

**Tubbo:** HELP ME  
**Tubbo:** HURY  
**Tubbo:** PHIL  
**Tubbo:** HLEP ANYONE PLESE

Rapidly, his fingers flew, typing a frantic message back.

 **awesamdude:** Tubbo send me your coords

Seconds later, Tubbo’s reply came through. Sam took one look at the numbers and broke into a sprint, heart pounding in his chest, death grip on his trident.

_Please let them be okay._

—————————

Sam could smell smoke. The air had become thicker as he got close to Tubbo’s location, stinging his eyes, tasting sharp and sour even through his gas mask. He burst through a line of trees, scanning for a brown hood or red shirt, anything to indicate where the boys could be.

Instead, his gaze fell on bright pink hair and a headset, multi-colored glasses glinting in the hazy light. Sam froze, unsure what to do. 

Wasn’t Niki supposed to be with Tommy? 

_Niki’s strange smile. The glint in her eyes, her apparent eagerness to get Tommy moving._

Wasn’t Jack supposed to be helping Tubbo with the nukes or something?

_The strange countdown, the smoke in the air. A bare patch in the canopy up ahead._

Sam’s throat felt too tight.

_Where were the boys?_

Sam was just about to ask, to step forward from the shadows of the pines, when there was a rush of air and Philza Minecraft landed in the clearing. Moments later, Ranboo materialized next to the older man, purple particles fizzling around him.

Jack startled, but Niki hardly reacted. She just turned to face the newcomers, a horrifying smile on her face. 

“Hello, Phil! Ranboo! It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?” Her eyes shone with a delighted mania, and Sam’s chest constricted, every instinct screeching _wrong wrong wrong_.

Ranboo glanced at Phil nervously, unsure how to respond. Phil cleared his throat, feathers rustling as his wings shifted uneasily. “We’re here to find Tubbo. Ran here saw the message and insisted we come looking for him. Right mate?”

Ranboo nodded, fidgeting. Sam began to creep his way forward as he listened, trying to remain unseen but unable to stay still any longer, the urgency of finding Tommy and Tubbo compelling him to move. 

The enderman hybrid coughed, shuffling. “Yeah- I just- I need to make sure he’s okay. Do you guys happen to uh… to know where Tubbo might be?”

Jack grinned, his expression twisting to match that of Niki’s. “Of course. He’s right over there,” Jack pointed forward, toward the gap in the trees. “He’s checking out the blast site. The launch was super successful, kid’s excited.” 

Sam stopped creeping. That…that didn’t match up. _Excited?_ Had no one else seen how frantic the messages Tubbo had sent were?

Phil turned to where Jack was pointing, a worn and forced smile on his face. “Thanks, mate. Ranboo, let’s go.”

Sam didn’t bother to see if Jack and Niki were following, deciding to deal with whatever they had going on later. He hurried after the other pair, feeling sick with anxiety as the smoke got thicker and felt ash tickle his cheeks. 

Up ahead, Phil halted, Ranboo letting out a cry of distress. Startled, Sam began to run, coming up behind them and freezing in the same manner. His breath caught in his chest. 

_No._

Over the shoulders of the others, Sam could make out a massive crater, one he knew was far larger than anything TNT could make. The air was sour and hazy with smoke, nearby trees singed, the ground torn and burnt.

At the edge of the wasteland was Tubbo, wearing a hazmat suit, hunched over a figure with burnt blond hair and clothes caked in carbon and soot, burns littering the visible skin. Even from here, Tubbo’s sobs were obvious, the boy’s entire body quaking with the force of them. 

Sam’s body felt locked up, hands trembling. 

_No. Please no._

_Not his boys._

_He was meant to **protect** them._

No one moved, even as Tubbo looked up at the sound of Ranboo’s cry, devastation on his face. Phil drew in a sharp breath, calling out, “Tubbo?”

At this, Sam’s limbs unlocked, a scream bursting from his throat. 

“TOMMY!”

Phil and Ranboo turned, shocked, as Sam shouldered his way between them, running towards the two kids. His _boys._

He fell to his knees beside them, pulling off his mask despite the smoke, feeling unable to get enough air at the sight of Tommy.

He looked terrible. Skin and clothes charred, chest shuddering with each breath, a pained wheeze escaping bloody lips with each exhale. Tubbo’s hand cupped a burnt cheek, the knuckles of the his other shoved between clenched teeth as the boy sobbed. 

Carefully, Sam brought Tommy into his lap, clutching at him. The boy whimpered, and Sam looked up, unable to bear it as tears clouded his vision. 

“How did this happen?” Sam whispered, carefully carding a hand through Tommy’s ruined hair. “Tubbo, how did this happen?”

Tubbo shook his head, wails pouring out of him. “We were testing the nukes- I told him- I told people to stay away, I don’t…” Another sob tore through him, hand latching onto the ruined red fabric of Tommy’s shirt. “Tommy _please_ -“

Footsteps could be heard, and Sam hunched further over Tommy, protectively holding the kid against his chest.

 _There’s no point,_ a part of him hisses, _you already failed him._

A clawed hand settled on Tubbo’s shoulder, and the kid startled, looking up at Ranboo. The other teen’s face was just as wrecked, tears streaming down his monochromatic cheeks. “Hey, uh… Why don’t- why don’t you come back with me, Tubbo? I’ll teleport you home and Sam-“ Ranboo chokes, voice thick with tears, “Sam can carry Tommy.”

Tubbo nodded, gaze unfocused. Suddenly, he lurched forward, pressing his forehead into Tommy’s, tears falling onto his friend’s cheeks. Sam hates it.

“I’m so sorry, Toms.” The boy whispered. “I am so, so sorry. I love you.”

His only response is another wheezing breath, one Sam can barely feel. Tubbo stumbled to his feet and turned away, taking shuddering, gasping breaths. Ranboo carefully wraps the smaller boy in a hug and sends Sam a heartbroken smile. Seconds later, the air is empty but for purple sparks.

Sam follows suit, carefully pushing to his feet, limbs numb and stiff. His sense of urgency is gone, replaced by the sinking feeling of grief and helplessness. He looks down at Tommy and _hurts._

Looking up, he sees Phil standing at the edge of the tree line, still unmoving, face blank. Sam begins to walk towards the man, eyes set on the forest behind him, intending to follow the same route he took to get to this godforsaken place.

Phil opens his mouth to say something, eyes locked on the broken form of his son, gaze filled with regret. Sam doesn’t let him speak, shouldering past him, conscious of Tommy in his arms. “You have no right to mourn, Philza Minecraft. None.”

Phil blanched. “He’s my son!”

Sam spun back as a loud hissing filled his ears, barely resisting the wave of anger pushing his cells to ignite. “ _Don’t_ ,” He ground out through gritted teeth. “You don’t deserve to call him your son just as much as he didn’t deserve to have YOU for a father.”

With that, Sam turned away, uncaring about the man’s reaction, throat tight and eyes burning as he carried Tommy’s wrecked body back through the woods.

**Author's Note:**

> he he he... Suffer.


End file.
